Wolfgang Van Halen asks fans to “not hold their breath” for archive releases

"I think when a very important musician passes, you usually see right away the compilations of unreleased music that maybe should have stayed unreleased"

Wolfgang Van Halen has told Van Halen fans to “not hold their breath” over the release of archived songs of his late father’s.

Legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen died last month following a battle with throat cancer.

Wolfgang recently revealed that, prior to the deterioration in his father’s health, plans were in place for a “classic line-up” Van Halen reunion tour, which the band’s manager Irving Azoff discussed last month.

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Now, in a new interview with The Oakland Press, Van Halen has discussed the possibility of unreleased music being released from the vaults. “That’s not gonna happen for a long time,” he said. “I have no idea what’s in there that would be worth releasing.

“To a certain extent, my dad released all the good stuff. Even without the intention to release, I want to archive it properly and digitise it, so everything is safe for years to come. It’s going to be an incredibly difficult process and a very long process to do properly.”

Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen plays his custom Frankenstrat guitar at the Joe Louis Arena during Van Halen’s “5150 Tour” on May 9, 1986, in Detroit, Michigan (Picture: Ross Marino/Getty)

Wolfgang added: “I think when a very important musician passes, you usually see right away the compilations of unreleased music that maybe should have stayed unreleased, and it just seems like a cash grab to take hold of the moment.

“I’ve always disagreed with that, so if we’re ever gonna do anything with the vault, I want to make sure we do it right and do something that dad would be okay with. So I humbly ask the Van Halen fan base to not hold their breath on this, because you’ll pass out.”

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Meanwhile, three guitars once belonging to the late Eddie Van Halen have sold for a combined $422,000 at a recent auction.

Eddie Van Halen’s customised Kramer “Frankenstrat”, which was built with guitar tech Matt Bruck at the guitarist’s home studio, was the highest-priced seller at the auction, selling for $231,250.

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